TAG Oil Blog

While our TAG team in North America is being buffeted by winter rains and cold temps, our New Zealand community is enjoying oncoming summer. And with the good weather come some of our favorite community sponsorship events.

Surf Life Saving: a sport and a community service

Surrounded by water as we are, surf safety and respect for the ocean are ingrained in every New Zealand child from a young age. TAG contributes to hundreds of junior surf lifeguards in training, helping them with the opportunity to become full-fledged Surf Life Guards through fun training and competition.

Never too young for surf life savingand fun on the beaches of Taranaki.

Some challenging surf encountered by the older surf life saving participants.

Meanwhile, on terra firma…

The Stratford Golf Club, sponsored by TAG Oil, held a golf tournament for primary schools in the central Taranaki region. More than 50 students took to the fairways to play in the TAG Oil Juniors tournament. And during the four weeks leading up to the tournament and a professional coach came in one day a week to provide lessons.

TAG’s land liaison manager Rodney Hosking, back row, was present to hand out the prizes to this fine group of golfers.

Matthew Kowalewski is the 2014 recipient of TAG Oil’s $5,000 scholarship, awarded annually to a promising senior from Stratford High School that is interested in an oil and gas-related field of study.

In Matthew’s case, he plans to tackle a double major in geology and physics next year at Waikato University.

In a competitive field of high-achieving local students, it was Matthew’s combination of strong academics, solid work ethic, and demonstrated leadership that impressed the TAG scholarship team. "We look for well-rounded individuals who deliver academically but also have a positive influence at school," said TAG country manager Max Murray.

Matthew has those characteristics in spades, and we look forward to seeing what this bright and driven young man achieves in the years to come. Congratulations!

In what was described as a composed performance in a hectic game last Saturday, team TenderLink Taranaki (commonly referred to as the Amber and Blacks) prevailed to become the ITM Cup Premiership champions!

A Taranaki player seen through the TAG Oil stadium flares.

"We're absolutely over the moon," said flanker Mitchell Crosswell. "To do it in front of a home crowd was just fantastic. It's amazing."

The ITM Cup is the highest level of professional, domestic New Zealand rugby union competition, and Taranaki is the first province outside “the big five” to win the title.

The NZ Herald said it best:

“In front of 21,000 fervent fans on a wonderful night for provincial rugby, Taranaki applied the fitting finale to their fairytale campaign. Taranaki's 36-32 victory over Tasman at Yarrow Stadium on Saturday was an appropriate way to cap the greatest season in the history of Taranaki rugby.”

TAG Oil is a proud sponsor of this great team, and we congratulate the players on a game well played, and the fans for a season that will go down in history!

When most of us think of a mid-December festival, we envision frost, hot apple cider, mittens, and short days with long nights. In New Zealand, however, the annual New Plymouth Festival of Lights kicks off on December 14th to celebrate the southern hemisphere’s summer season.

Summer Scene, sponsored by TAG Oil and Horizon Energy Services, is the daytime events' portion of the greater Festival, specially planned for children and families. It includes a scavenger hunt, a big beach dig, craft-making and a craft sale, magician shows, picnics, the return of the popular futsal court, where families and friends challenge one another to five-a-side football matches, and much more.

Melissa Devine-Collins, New Plymouth District Council events manager, told The Taranaki Daily News, "Having these companies on board will make it easier for us to deliver an exciting programme of events for children and adults this summer."

The entire event was voted the “Best Established Community Event in New Zealand,” by the New Zealand Association of Event Professionals, and we’re proud to be taking part! To learn more and keep an eye on the schedule of activities, go to the Festival of Lights website.

Tough Kid 2014, sponsored by TAG Oil and hosted by Sport Taranaki, is all set for its third year with a whopping 1,450 sold-out competitors.

These primary schoolers will compete in an obstacle course that includes a water slide, tire scramble and much more, around the back fields of Yarrow Stadium.

The event is designed to teach children how to overcome challenges, and to promote health and physical activity in a fun way.

TAG is proud to partner with Sport Taranaki, a community-focused organization dedicated to the promotion of sport and physical recreation, to make this event happen. And it’s truly a community event: The local police are on board as volunteers, and the fire department will help maintain the giant water slide.

Be safe, have a blast, and to our minds, everyone who competes is a winner.

Following a rigorous judging process, TAG Oil was delighted to be a finalist in the prestigious Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards, as one of just four companies in the Overall Energy Company of the Year category.

Chairman of the Judging Panel Richard Westlake said the caliber of entries was extremely high and the finalist selection process had been a tough one. The finalists were:

Meridian Energy

TAG Oil

Shell New Zealand

Mighty River Power

Although TAG Oil was edged out by global “supermajor” Shell (Shell New Zealand), we got great feedback and support, and are pleased with what we’ve accomplished in New Zealand to date. Said Judge Westlake, "The judging panel was impressed by the depth and quality of the entries and our task certainly hasn't been easy. Some of the entries this year were the best the panel has seen."

Now in their fifth year, the Excellence Awards provide an opportunity to recognize excellence and achievement across the electricity, oil, gas and petroleum industries.

“Whether it’s providing New Zealand homes and businesses with a reliable energy supply or exploring the country’s underdeveloped resources, this sector provides exciting opportunities for innovation and investment.

The Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards have been formed to recognise and celebrate excellence across the many disciplines that comprise the sector. “